Showing posts with label sexual abuse. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sexual abuse. Show all posts

Tuesday, September 21, 2021

Conversion Therapy

 Conversion therapy is a process designed to change individuals same-sex or bisexual orientation to heterosexual orientation. The process has been used by religious groups that believe same-sex orientation or same-sex sexual activity to be sinful. In the past, psychoanalytic theories linked adult homosexuality to dysfunctional family influence or childhood trauma.

As of 2021, the major professional organizations for psychiatry, psychology, counseling, and social work oppose conversion therapy. There is a lack of scientific evidence supporting the practice and there is evidence that some people are harmed by conversion therapy.

APA statement on sexual orientation and change efforts.

Patients who participated in conversion therapy have reported a variety of negative effects such as depression, suicidality, anxiety, sexual dysfunction, social dysfunction, and low self-esteem.

Other terms for conversion therapy:

change therapy, reorientation therapy, reparative therapy, sexual orientation change efforts


Spiritual or Religious Abuse


 Spiritual abuse and religious abuse are types of abuse.

   In this post:

Five types of spiritual or religious abuse

1 sexual

2 relationship

3 economic

4 medical

5 psychological


Although the words harassment and abuse may be used interchangeably, in legal contexts, laws may define these words differently. From the perspective of psychology, we may refer to harassment as a pattern of acts that leave people feeling distressed, uncomfortable, and discriminated against. 

In contrast to harassment, abuse refers to actions that result in harm whether that harm be overt bodily harm or psychological harm resulting in such impairments as anxiety or mood disorders including phobias, post-traumatic stress disorder, sexual disorders, psychotic disorders, impaired memory due to head trauma, and other mental disorders.


  👉    Read more about Spiritual and Religious Harassment


Spiritual or religious harm may include the loss of a meaningful source of coping and support in that many people draw on their faith to cope with life problems. The harm may be nuanced if the person retains their faith but loses their faith community, which is no longer a safe place—especially when the victim is blamed or viewed skeptically and members rally to support the abuser.

The terms spiritual and religious are often used interchangeably. Religious can be a narrower term referring to a specific religion like Christianity, Judaism, or Hinduism. In contrast, spirituality may refer to a variety of spiritual practices like meditation that need not be tied to a specific religion or experiences like feelings of awe when experiencing nature or a sense of connectedness to God. In a broad sense, practicing a religion is one way of being spiritual.

Spiritual or Religious Abuse

Spiritual or religious abuse may occur within a sacred or secular context and may be carried out by a spiritual or religious leader or one’s peers. Spiritual or religious abuse can result in different forms of harm, which can be worsened when multiple types of abuse are combined.

A clergyperson who sexually assaults a congregant is an example of two types of abuse: sexual abuse and religious abuse. 

Sexual assault often results in a range of psychological symptoms, which vary in intensity and duration depending on such factors as the relationship to the abuser, and the intensity, duration, and frequency of the abuse. In traumatic cases, the effects of sexual abuse can last for years and severely interfere with vital relationships. Recovery may require psychotherapy and prolonged support.

The religious abuse component can also vary in terms of the pre-abuse relationship between the clergyperson and the congregant (e.g., counseling, friendship) and the location of the abuse. For example, a sacred place is usually considered a sanctuary—a place where people may expect to relax, let their guard down, and feel safe as they worship. When a person is violated in a sacred place, the place of abuse, and similar places, become persistent noxious reminders of the abuse and can interfere with the spiritual blessings associated with the place as well as supportive relationships connected to the place. In addition, the abused person may lose considerable trust in the clergy, experience anger with God and the church, and lose an important part of their identity, their faith, should they leave faith altogether.

Five Types of Spiritual or Religious Abuse

Examples of spiritual or religious abuse may include using sacred texts, interpretation of sacred texts, or self-reported messages from a god or a spirit to coerce someone to do something that causes, or is likely to cause harm. 

Coercion may include inducing fear due to threats of eternal punishment, spiritual torment, or bodily harm in this life. Coercion is persistent psychosocial pressure that can be difficult to resist by vulnerable people.

People who are deeply committed to their faith can be vulnerable to abusive tactics that induce fear, guilt, and shame in the believer who does not comply with the persuasiveness of a spiritual leader.

Following are some examples of acts that may be classified as spiritual or religious abuse by the nature of the act or when a person is harmed by the act.

  1. Sexual abuse

Clergy or leadership pressure to perform any sex act in a sacred place or any place by a religious leader

Adult coercion of a minor to perform any sex act in a sacred place or by a religious leader in any location

  2. Relationship abuse

A religious leader may  pressure a congregant to end healthy and meaningful relationships with certain people resulting in loss of loving family or friend connections. Some religious leaders interpret their texts in ways that identify some relationships as unacceptable in their faith community.

A religious leader may pressure a congregant or family member to make commitments of time to the extent that a marriage is destroyed or employment is lost. Some married religious leaders go on extended and/or frequent trips, which result in the neglect of their spouse and children.

  3. Economic abuse

Pressure tactics to make excessive donations or investments resulting in economic harm 

Pressure tactics to invest in buildings or projects that are not sound investments or those the person cannot afford thus resulting in economic harm

Tactics can include long services with music and persistent pleas to reach a visually presented goal, which creates social pressure to give. Some Christian leaders may add "God-pressure" claiming "you can't out give God."

This type of abuse has been called "fleecing the flock."


  4. Medical abuse

Pressure to participate in religiously motivated civic protests where there is a risk of bodily harm. Medical abuse can include claims that "God will protect you." When people are hurt, a religious leader may justify the harm by calling it persecution.

Pressure to participate in spiritual activities where there is a high risk of infection. The pressure can include claims that "God will protect you" despite evidence of believers ending up in hospital or even dying.

Pressure to refuse evidence-based medical treatment or interventions for spiritual or religious reasons when the refusal is likely to result in illness or death

  5. Psychological abuse

Pressure to participate in any spiritual practices or activities that produce discomfort or distress. Some religious leaders are able to induce guilt or shame a person into acting in ways they would not normally act.

Pressure to comply with rules that interfere with a happy life like the number of children one can have or what pleasant activities are religiously permissible

Pressure to participate in groups that use strategies known to produce distress or trauma such as so-called conversion therapies

Pressure to witness or share their faith with family, friends, and others in an aggressive effort to convert them to a specific religion and thereby losing important supportive relationships. Some groups compel their congregants to "witness" in a way that is disrespectful to others such that the person who is "witnessing" not only loses relationships but may be harmed by the person angered by the intrusive witnessing.



Spiritual or Religious Abuse and Children

Children are especially vulnerable to spiritual or religious abuse because they usually trust the adults in their life. Parents and other caring adults need to ensure children are safe from abuse when in religious programs and activities.

Some spiritual or religious people are so zealous for their faith that they disrespect the beliefs of parents and attempt to force children to pray or convert without their parents' consent. Some teach religious stories to children or religious doctrines without their parents' consent.

News stories and court decisions provide evidence that spiritual and religious leaders abuse children in sacred places.

     Read more about Sexuality and Morality in Christian Cultures

     in A House Divided available from the publisher and on AMAZON

Coping with Spiritual or Religious Abuse

It is easy to suggest leaving the organization or relationship where the abuse occurs; however, to leave an abusive setting may require external support from a trusted friend, abuse hotline worker, or a psychotherapist. It is not easy for people to break long-term ties.

In addition to general medical services for bodily harm, psychotherapy may be needed to recover from a range of symptoms or conditions such as those suggested above. In some cases, clinicians may also be members of the same faith tradition as the person who has been harmed. Also, pastoral counseling may be a viable option.

In the US, people in immediate danger can call 911.

The US National Domestic Violence Hotline link is: https://www.acf.hhs.gov/fysb/programs/family-violence-prevention-services/programs/ndvh

Related Posts 

Spiritual and Religious Harassment

Spiritual Abuse Questionnaire (SAQ)

 Spiritual Assessment Questionnaire

Spiritual Struggles

Spiritual Struggles Scale

Conversion / Deconversion

Conversion therapies

Conversion Therapist Comes Out & Apologizes

Male Clergy Sex with Women

Clergy in the Spotlight


Psychotherapists and pastoral counselors can find more evaluation resources, including measures related to spiritual harassment and abuse in:

    Assessing Spirituality and Religiosity


AMAZON link

eBook link


 ðŸ‘‰    Read more about Christian Counseling and Psychotherapy

Forgiveness, Reconciliation, 
and Restoration of Fallen Clergy

This treatment of predatory clergy is of concern to victims and their families, congregants, board members, and society. The topic is beyond the scope of this post. Here I will post some resources that may be helpful.









What to do About Church Sexual Abuse

This topic is so important. Here are some resources to learn more about this related topic.


What to do About Church Sexual Abuse

Sexual Abuse Prevention- Church Mutual

Sexual Misconduct prevention

Evaluate Ministry Safe and similar programs

Sexual Abuse Response and Prevention

Policy Manual for Sexual Abuse and Misconduct Prevention

Helping to Manage the Risk of Child Sexual Abuse in Church

 How to cite this post in APA style

Sutton, G. W. (2021, September 21). Spiritual or religious abuse. Psychology Concepts and Theories.  Retrieved from https://suttonpsychology.blogspot.com/2021/09/spiritual-or-religious-abuse.html


Geoffrey W. Sutton, PhD is Emeritus Professor of Psychology. He retired from a clinical practice and was credentialed in clinical neuropsychology and psychopharmacology. His website is  www.suttong.com

 

See Geoffrey Sutton’s books on   AMAZON       or  GOOGLE STORE

Follow on    FACEBOOK   Geoff W. Sutton    

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You can read many published articles at no charge:

  Academia   Geoff W Sutton     ResearchGate   Geoffrey W Sutton 

 

Dr. Sutton’s posts are for educational purposes only. See a licensed mental health provider for diagnoses, treatment, and consultation. 

Limitations of Terminology

If you need to distinguish between harassment and abuse from a legal perspective, consult the laws where you live. If you need to understand the difference in terms of the workplace, consult the policies where you work and/or applicable law. Most of us will need advice from an attorney to understand the implications of law.

post updated 11 April 2022



Saturday, September 18, 2021

Spiritual and Religious Harassment

 


Spiritual harassment includes but is not limited to religious harassment. Harassment includes the terms emotional abuse or psychological abuse but is generally considered a different category of offensive conduct than physical and sexual abuse.

In general, harassment refers to behavior considered offensive by the person who is the target of the behavior. The behavior may be verbal or nonverbal. The harassing actions leave the targeted person feeling disturbed, upset, demeaned, or humiliated. Harassment includes discrimination.

Harassment By Spiritual Leaders is Not Necessarily Spiritual

What makes harassment religious or spiritual is the use of religious or spiritual texts or practices to produce the distress. Any kind of harassment may be spiritual if the actions negatively impact a person's spirituality. A religious or spiritual leader may harass a person in different ways. Following are examples of harassment that are not necessarily religious or spiritual.

Words that make people of a certain gender or ethnicity feel uncomfortable based on insulting language.

Policies that result in discrimination based on race, ethnicity, gender, ability, or other category.

Unwanted touching, hugging, kissing or pressure for dates.

Coercive sexual advances.

However

If a person’s spirituality is negatively affected because a spiritual leader or a group of peers then it’s reasonable to call the actions spiritual harassment in addition to other types. For example, if a person avoids participating in meaningful religious or spiritual activities because someone is sexually harassing them then the negative effects can be additive.

 

Spiritual or Religious Harassment

Difficult Doctrines

Examples of spiritual or religious harassment are difficult to codify because many teachings identify various acts as right and others as sinful or wrong. Religious people are expected to give up their wrongdoing. In some religions, persistent sin or wrong doing can lead to personal ruin or eternal damnation. 

Christians are expected to give money and time. In some sects, people are taught to give a minimum of 10% of their income and encouraged to give more of their money and time. The failure to meet the expectations of a religion can lead to feeling unworthy, unloved, rejected, guilty, and ashamed. 

In my view, a healthy spirituality always provides a way of redemption. People can be forgiven, reconciled, restored—in short, no matter how much they have sinned according to their faith’s definition of sin, they may be restored to spiritual wellness. Perhaps the words of a Hebrew Psalm (46) and Welsh hymn capture the restoration, “It is well with my soul.”

Consent

When it comes to doctrines or traditional religious practices that are offensive but normative for a specific faith tradition, adults in free societies can usually practice their spirituality somewhere else. By normative I mean there is no obvious effort to single out a particular person and cause that person to be the target of offensive actions. Thus, the idea of consent is a factor in choosing to remain in a setting that leaves one feeling distressed, guilty, shamed, and so forth.

Adults must realize that children do not grant consent but may be placed in a setting that may negatively affect their spirituality and other aspects of their wellbeing. Spiritual harassment of children happens.

Examples of Spiritual or Religious Harassment

Discrimination based on amount of time or money donated

Discrimination in a secular workplace granting special privileges to one faith more than another

Defacing sacred places like a cemetery or place of worship

Defacing houses and personal spaces with symbols offensive to the person’s faith tradition

Promising spiritual blessings in exchange for time, money, or other acts

Threats of supernatural harm if a person does not perform certain acts

Pressuring victims of abuse to reconcile with their offender

Pressuring congregants to forgive and restore an abusive pastor or spiritual leader

Pressuring congregants to keep quiet about sinful and/or unlawful conduct of a spiritual leader

Pressuring people to give money or time—especially when they have little to give

Continually asking people where they were when they missed a scheduled meeting

Pressuring people in a group to support a decision because dissent is ungodly

Praying so loud that it interferes with other ongoing conversations such as in a restaurant

Persistent communication of spiritual or religious information or messages to people who do not wish to hear or receive such information

Coercing people to perform some act they consider sinful or uncomfortable based on an interpretation of a text or personal message from God

Shaming people who struggle with doubt about their faith or experience spiritual struggles

Shaming people who have a mental illness

Shaming people of the same faith for doing less than expected such as attending fewer meetings than expected or giving less time or money

Knowingly posting false information about a person’s spirituality or religion on social media in an effort to embarrass or humiliate them


Summary

Spiritual harassment includes religious harassment and is a subtype of harassment. Harassment may be verbal or nonverbal. Spiritual harassment consists of actions by spiritual leaders or other group members toward one or more people who experience considerable distress because of the unwanted actions. Spiritual harassment is usually discriminatory in that select people in a group are the targets of the harassment. Any kind of harassment in a spiritual or religious context may be considered spiritual harassment if the actions significantly negatively affect the target person’s spirituality. At some point, severe spiritual harassment may become spiritual or religious abuse. A key indicator of abuse is harm.


Related Posts

Spiritual and Religious Abuse

The Spiritual Abuse Questionnaire 

Learn more about spiritual and general wellbeing in Living Well



Learn more about Christian sexuality and morality, including abuse, in A House Divided.


Find A House Divided on AMAZON and GOOGLE

Please check out my website   www.suttong.com

   and see my books on   AMAZON       or  GOOGLE STORE

Also, consider connecting with me on    FACEBOOK   Geoff W. Sutton    

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You can read many published articles at no charge:

  Academia   Geoff W Sutton     ResearchGate   Geoffrey W Sutton 

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Monday, August 12, 2019

Just World Hypothesis

Cosmic Justice 2024
Geoffrey Sutton & Designer AI


The just world hypothesis, according to Lerner and Miller (1978), “states that people have a need to believe that their environment is a just and orderly place where people usually get what they deserve (p. 1030).”

In Lerner’s view, the just world hypothesis focuses on people who observe others' suffering and interpret the observation in a way that avoids believing that they too could suffer, or at least suffer unjustly. To cope with the discomfort, observers may act to ensure justice happens for the victims or conclude that the victims suffer because of something they have done.

In experimental research, the information provided to participants who observe suffering influences the attitude of the participants toward the person who was the victim.


If there is evidence that what happened to the victim is not likely to affect the observer then, a victim derogation effect ("blame the victim") may be seen.

An empathy effect may reduce victim-blaming as seen in a study when participants were asked to imagine themselves in the victim’s situation.

Religiosity may be a factor.
In one study, those who were more highly religious did not respond differently to victims in different suffering contexts as did those low on religiosity, which may suggest that the highly religious believe justice will prevail—if not in this world, then in the world to come. 

The biblical story of Job appears to represent a struggle to understand why bad things happen to good people. In the New Testament, the disciples asked Jesus to explain a man's blindness by telling them who sinned--the man or his parents. Jesus did not endorse either cause (John 9: 1-12). The story reveals an enduring belief among some religious adherents that people suffer because of personal, family, or even national sin.

Measurement
A few scales have been developed to assess just world beliefs. One example is the Just World Belief Scale by Vondehaar & Carmody (2015). Another is the Global Beliefs in a Just World Scale (Lipkus, 1991).

Other terms
Other terms for the just world hypothesis include just world theory, just world fallacy, and the just world effect. A related phrase is blaming the victim.

Application
Just world theory may explain why people blame the victims of sexual and other forms of physical abuse and various crimes. Rape victims and victims of sexual harassment have been accused of having a responsible role in the harm done to them. People who suffer from an  illness or the effects of substance use disorders may be viewed as suffering as the result of poor choices. The theory may also explain the lack of concern for harm done to prisoners as if they deserve whatever they suffer in prison. 

References

           Furnham A. & Boston, N. (1996) Theories of rape and the just world, Psychology, Crime & Law, 2:3, 211-229, DOI: 10.1080/10683169608409779 

Gravelin, C. R., Biernat, M., & Bucher, C. E. (2019). Blaming the Victim of Acquaintance Rape: Individual, Situational, and Sociocultural Factors. Frontiers in psychology9, 2422. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2018.02422


Lerner, M. J., & Miller, D. T. (1978). Just world research and the attribution process: Looking back and ahead. Psychological Bulletin, 85(5), 1030–1051. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.85.5.1030

Lipkus, Isaac. (1991). The construction and preliminary validation of a global belief in a just world scale and the exploratory analysis of the multidimensional belief in a just world scale. Personality and Individual Differences, 12(11), 1171-1178. doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0191-8869(91)90081-L


           Vonderhaar, Rebecca L., & Carmody, Dianne Cyr. (2015). There are no “innocent victims”: The influence of just world beliefs and prior victimization on rape myth acceptance. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 30(10), 1615-1632. doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0886260514549196

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Articles: Academia   Geoff W Sutton   ResearchGate   Geoffrey W Sutton